Designing Creativity Through Clusters--Clusters as discourse in the Finnish creative industry, past and present

The overall aim of this thesis is to problematize and critically analyze the discourse of geographical clusters as a proposed advantage for both firms and regions in face of globalization and ‘annihilation of place’. By seeing clusters as discourse, I want to enhance the understanding of how meaning systems and strategies are created, accepted and naturalized in cluster discourse, and how this affects individuals, the economic landscape and society at large. With reference to theory and practice, the thesis aims to understand how and why the cluster discourse has been naturalized by firms and policy makers. Finally, the thesis discusses what the discourse excludes, and how it might alternatively develop in the future. I exemplify the cluster discourse through using the Finnish creative industries as a case-study.